Five new trivia nights

Hey, smarty-pants: Show off your recollection of random facts at these knowledge bouts.

By Jennifer M. Wood Mon Mar 7 2011

Trivial and Convivial: BHS Pub Trivia NightCram your brain with facts about Kings County before heading to the Brooklyn Historical Society's second throwdown, with questions devoted entirely to the City of Churches. (If you didn't recognize that as one of Brooklyn's nicknames, it's time to hit the books.) MCs Stuart Post and Chris Kelley will lead teams through a series of multimedia challenges (utilizing movie clips, photos and more) that will test competitors' knowledge of the borough; some clues will be directly linked to pieces on view in the museum, so arrive early for some last-minute studying. Prizes include tickets to Urban Oyster's Brewed in Brooklyn walking tour and merchandise from the Brooklyn Brewery, although walking away with any of that pales in comparison to the feeling of crushing the competition. Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont St at Clinton St, Brooklyn Heights (718-222-4111, brooklynhistory.org). Thu 10 7--10pm; $10, BHS members $8.

Fourth Annual Panorama ChallengeGeography buffs have the advantage in this competition, now in its fourth year. The all-new questions will revolve around "The Panorama of the City of New York," the Queens Museum of Art's massive scale model of NYC, commissioned by Robert Moses for the 1964 World's Fair. Family-run tour company Levy's Unique New York will highlight sections of the exhibit and quiz participants about various landmarks, neighborhoods and buildings. Encyclopedic knowledge of the five boroughs will be rewarded with a yearlong membership to the museum, and the winning team's name will be engraved on the museum's Panorama Challenge trophy. Queens Museum of Art, Flushing Meadows--Corona Park, enter at 49th Ave and 111th St, Flushing, Queens (718-592-9700, queensmuseum.org). Fri 11 7--10pm; free.

PopRally: PopQuizPut that fine-arts degree to good use when the Museum of Modern Art devotes one of its PopRally parties to an evening of trivia, hosted by performance artist Ryan McNamara. As many as 60 teams will try to outsmart one another during three rounds of questions, and the victors will go home as newly minted MoMA members. While being able to tell your Warhol from your Wegman will help, you'll also need to be familiar with MoMA's collection: One round will be devoted to trivia inspired by the museum's "Contemporary Art from the Collection" exhibit, which features 130 works that explore themes of economics, politics, gender and ethnicity. (Luckily, participants get exclusive access to the show before the quiz begins.) Museum of Modern Art, 11 W 53rd St between Fifth and Sixth Aves (212-708-9400, moma.org/poprally). Mar 29 7--10:30pm; $20, advance $18.

Trivia Night at the Bell HouseExercise your brain meats during this monthly tourney, hosted by David Jacobson, founder of quiz-crafting company TrivWorks. Competitors earn points for their smarts in topics such as history and pop culture, and can garner bonus marks that will get them closer to winning the $25 bar tab (in the photo round, for example, if you can identify images of ten celebs—as well as the link that ties them together—you'll receive five extra points). Keep an eye out for the occasional themed event; in November, Jacobson teamed up with comic magician Teller to present supernatural trivia, pegged to the latter's Off Broadway show Play Dead. The Bell House, 149 7th St between Second and Third Aves, Gowanus, Brooklyn (718-643-6510, thebellhouseny.com). Apr 6, time TBA; free.

Tuesday Night TriviaSnag a seat at King's Head Tavern for its weekly pub quiz, with rounds dedicated to general trivia, sports, music and more. The vibe is laid-back, which could be due to the free-flowing booze: Teams are given up to four shots during individual rounds. (We recommend going light on those; answering questions only gets harder as you get more intoxicated.) Expect the crowd of approximately 25 to be split into teams of no more than four people, though boastful types can play by themselves. The evening's cranial conquistadors will walk out with a $50 bar tab. King's Head Tavern, 222 E 14th St between Second and Third Aves (212-961-6257, kingsheadtavern.com). Tue 8pm; free.